Column



Jan. 7, 1930. H. H. SEARS 1,742,223

COLUMN I Filed May 21, 1924 5 and incidenta d10 capahleeofaar-mone general'fappl-ication.

2 5aandstofship.

` jblocksrwhich may: beeitherghollowor Patented Jan.` 7, 1930 i T QF-FLCE ApplicationaledL May :21,

u The n invention vrelates particularly l to col f .umns .orgel-1a fts:atoryuser` in .plfaee ofwooden col aumns` millsand.similarY constructioni to; im-

prove the firerproofwqnahtyfof@ the .building lly tojsavetheexpenseof. woodrleni :columnslinciden'titof the? increasing cost of dumber. The-scopeof therfinventionisfof `course,.anot li-Initedflto. the field thus 1i defined,

` f 'the ,structure of theinvention beingobviofusly .The @substitution of rein-forced concrete l columns vfor `i`'vvooiden. columns t is, of course, @obvious` in .i-viewrof. the, present-:state of Ithe buildingaart. -Snchcolumns both:molded in` 1 l5 place andeshlipped f wvhole1havebeen. used in numerous instances. The mold-ing lof t colaunns infplacefzhasg.theadisadvantage that the ,constnuction. .efe-the :building1n-inst.:await the ,i permanentesetting.off the. concrete,,as. otherupeni to support .lthenloasdf and cannot tbe` loaded zwtholut A`ini jui-ya l Alsothenmelfds are ...ana-important, eX-

pense item. The columns which areshipped Whole A.are .diflcult. 1anday eupensiveto, handle The.presenttinventiontrelatesrto. a `concrete cclum'n-Qonshaftl builtupmf,separate Aconcrete `soli f candfreinforced.vertically. and transversely Aby .means f .:suitable tension rods Columns y builtintthis `wayare ,innchecheaper,,tofV ship i andtorhandleand..tovconstructyand:will `supately after. they; are set up. ".Tlierrods. alsoiresistshearing. v Inaccordanceawihh. the, preferred form` of l, the invention the l.blocls. .are `prtwided `with l @aligned Ofrooves..to receivethe vertical rein- Eforcing ro`ds, aiid. theymay bei grooved transversely to. receiveithe transverse rods, or these rods may j be embedded fin u the individual blocks' as 'hereinafterdescribed. i fIn tl1e,.use if tl1e colummthefbloclrs are -zshipped tsepanately the columns are i 'formed in theconstnuction ofthe building by placingthetbloeks one von top ofthe other `on suitable foundations,baseblocks or stand- ,a1" ds.\ dnplacing thelblocks itlis necessary that the vertical,` grooves.` beI placed in, alignmentto receive the vertical reinforce. The `transverse reiforce'may, as stated, be` placed `blocks `as formed.

at the.

suitabl g, protect, the reinforce and give. the col-umn. the

A most easily Vavailable m struction ofthe blocks,

tion. .-I `have also same-being sho-wn in the course of construcure l.

Vused in said column. l

block Vof somew nand l 1924. Serial No.' 714,957.

ves or embedded in the In any event the i vertical ansverse reinforcing rodsiare connected intersections, and the grooves arefiilled withV a mixture of cementfand sand :"or. `other eA material which serves to l covenand in transverse Vgroo and tr ca A desired #finished appearance. .While ,1 have referred to `concrete as the commonest, and

aterial `for the conthey may be v'formed of any mineral plastic nonffluid set,v as clay,.lime,.Portland or natuitablei fillers. ay .be hollow, i. e., f may be ralfcement with any l su The blocks m formed in -vertically extending tubular sections on solid, o ,filled with concreteand.tamped as they `are set up, and permitted tohard-en in place,isav

r, the hollow sections maybe ing the cost of the mold 70 umn.r may be. hol-low.

.fn the accompanying drawnglhave ill-ustrateldf a sectional column built up ofconcrete or :shaft blocks, in accordance with, my invenillustrated these blocl {s` in detailin two forms.

In the drawings* Y .Figure l is an elevation of acolumn or shaft in accordance Withmy invention, the

,as the finished coltion for convenience in illustrating the ,ar-

rangement of mthe reinforce.

Figure 2 1s a section on the llne 2, 2 of- Fig Fgure 3 is a perspectiveview ofthe block Figure 4lis avperspective view of a shaft hat different construction;

Figure 5 illustrates a section of column or shaft madefrom a block ofthe type'illustrated in` Figure 4.

Referring tothe drawings by, numerals, each of which is used to indicate vthe same or similar parts in the diderentgguresof the drawings, the column l, shownparticularly inFigures l and 2, is.for1ned of aseriesof concrete blocks 2. AThese blocks as shown are elongated in the direction of theirheight. They areI Y preferably of4 rectangular crosssection and are grooved'at 3 in a vertical direction, the vertical grooves being shown in the centre of each lateral face and the horizontal grooves in the preferred form shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3 being one at each end of the column and one at the middle extending around the periphery, the middle groove 4 being preferably of twice the Width of the end grooves 5 and 6, so that when the blocks are assembled to form the finished column, as shown, particularly in Figure 1, the vertical grooves 3 being placed in alignment to form the continuous vertical groove 7, the end grooves of the adjacent blocks are combined to form a single groove. The blocks 2, as shown in Figure 3, may be hollow or tubular, the hollow being indicated by reference character 8, and the hollow may, if desired, be filled With concrete after assembling, or more properly during the process of assembling,the concrete being tamped as theassembling operation proceeds. As'soon as the blocks are set up, vertical reinforcing rods 9 of a section to suit the load and unsupported length, are placed in the vertical grooves 7 formed by placing the grooves 3 in alignment and are suitably connected to the transverse reinforce 10 which may be placed in the transverse grooves 4 at this time, or may be placed in the blocks as formed and in a manner hereinafter described. The connection may be formed by Wrapping Wire about the intersecting rods or otherwise. When the reinforce is suitably placed, the grooves are then filled with cement or cement putty 11. as indicated, particularly in Figure 2, and when this material has hardened, the assembled column has allV the desirable properties of a reinforced concrete column molded in a single piece, it being understood that the blocks thus placed will resist the stresses of compression as efficiently as will a continuous column of similar section. and as the concrete is not relied upon to resist tension stresses, the reninforce being provided for this purpose, the column is practically as efficient asa column of similar section and length cast in a single piece. and similarly reinforced.

In Figures 4 and 5 I have illustrated a shaft block and a section of column made of a cular periphery, the'ends Yshaft block having the transverse reinforce 14 embedded therein. These shaft blocks 15 are of semi-circular cross-section. and of suitable length` and have each one or more reinforcing members 14 embedded in the material of which the block is formed. and extending around the block in the direction of the cir- 16 of the reinforce protruding from the edges of the block. which is shown as hollow. though this is not essential. The reinforce is formed with eves 17 one at each end. In assembling the column the blocks are placed one on top of the other, the completed column being formed by placing the blocks in pairs of blocks 18, 19, comprising a complete section, see Figure 5, with the corresponding eyes 17 of the transverse reinforce in each block in registration. The straight edges 20 are preferably shouldered or rabbeted at 22 to provide room for the vertical reinforcing members 21 which are placed in the groove 23 thus formed between the edges of the blocks and passed through the eyes. When .the reinforce has been placed, the groove 23 is filled With cement or cement putty or the like covering the previously exposed portions of the reinforce. It is apparent that the sections 18, 19, Figure 5, may be built up of any desired number of pieces depending upon the number of spaces for vertical reinforce desired, and also that the tWo methods of placing the reinforce illustrated, particularly in Figures 1 and 5 may be combined.

Having thus described specifically and in detail a preferred and secondary form of shaft block and assembled shaft or column embodying the features of my invention in the preferred and in a secondary form, I would have it understood that the specific terms herein are used descriptively rather than in a limiting sense, the scope of the invention being defined in the claims.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A reinforced column composed of separate blocks of molded mineral plastic having aligned grooves in the direction of the length of the column, vertical reinforcing members therein, and transverse reinforcing members secured to said vertical reinforcing members.

2. A reinforced column consisting of a series of grooved blocks of mineral plastic, one on top of the other. the grooves being placed in alignment providing a vertically extending channel` a vertical reinforce extending substantially the length of said column in said space` and transverse reinforcing members at intervals extending around the column intersecting the vertical reinforce and secured to said vertical reinforce at the intersections.

3. A column composed of a series of separate concrete blocks placed one on the other, the blocks having vertical and transverse grooves, the vertical grooves being placed in alignment. vertical reinforcing members in the vertical grooves. and transverse reinforcing members in the transverse grooves.

4. A reinforced column composed of separate blocks of molded mineral plastic having grooves aligned in the direction of the length of the column and vertical reinforcing members therein, the blocks also having transverse grooves and transverse reinforcing members therein and plastic material coveri ng the reinforce in the grooves.

5. A reinforced concrete column consisting of separate blocks of molded mineral plastic,

each of said blocks having a horizontal cross section comprising `substantially Jche entire entire length of thecolumn and plastic material covering the relnforeing members in the grooves.

York, New York, this Signed by me at New lthday of May, 1924.

` Y HORACE H. SEARS. 

